Class (BBC1, 10.45pm)

THIS Doctor Who spin-off didn't fare that well as a BBC3 on-line series in October, so it's being a terrestrial chance on BBC1 in the hope of avoiding a "see me" from the head of content.

Giving the Doctor's pals their own show started back in 1981 with K-9 and Company, in which former companion Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) was meant to embark on adventures with the Time Lord's popular robot dog. Unfortunately, it didn't get past the pilot stage. Sladen returned in The Sarah Jane Adventures 26 years later, and that was a success, running for five series until the actress's death in 2011.

The flashier Torchwood ran for four years and continues after a fashion, via Big Finish, a company that produces Doctor Who audio adventures. The company has also backed other spin-offs featuring characters from the series.

Class may one day be a project for them too, but for now, it's a project written by young adult writer Patrick Ness, who said before the BBC3 launch: "There are many, many secrets to come. Many. Like, a lot. But of course, the Doctor is in episode one!.That's how these things are done. Truly, though, I can't wait for everyone to see the show; we've worked so hard and I'm so proud of it."

Peter Capaldi added: "The Doctor Who family is growing, and it's fantastic to be able to welcome the young new cast of Class in to the Whoniverse."

The main setting for the drama is Coal Hill Academy, which has been part of Doctor Who since its earliest days – it featured in the first episode, An Uneathly Child, in 1963, when it was known as Coal Hill School and was attended by the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan. It's appeared since too – it's the school where Clara Oswald was a teacher.

Now it's Miss Quill (played by Katherine Kelly) who takes centre stage, along with four students who are entrusted by the Doctor to keep alien threats at bay.

Silent Witness (BBC1, 9pm)

PART one of two. A schoolteacher disappears and investigating officer DCI Andy Steemson asks Nikki and Jack to examine evidence found at the house, including traces of blood, bike tracks and a charred cake in the oven. Meanwhile, Thomas is called to the site of the murder of a former drug addict and petty criminal who has been thrown from the top of a flyover, and becomes determined to win justice for the victim in the wake of police indifference – forming an unlikely alliance in the process.

The Week We Went Wild (C5, 10pm)

FOUR families are about to get back to nature in this new series. Each edition will see them abandoned in a remote area as they rely on nothing but each other and their reserves of strength and character to survive. First into the fray are mother-of-eight Dawn and three of her children. Son Marc, who's 26, hopes that being thrown together in such a situation will help mend their strained family; he believes it's falling apart due to his mother's behaviour, and claims she is a bad role model for his 14-year-old sister Megan. Dawn is devastated by Marc's accusations, but begins to open up about the reasons for her actions during what turns out to be a tense but surprisingly rewarding trip for all involved.

Insert Name Here (BBC2, 10pm)

BROADCASTER and writer Danny Baker, sport presenter Gabby Logan, Citizen Khan creator and star Adil Ray and historian Kate Williams join host Sue Perkins and captains Richard Osman and Josh Widdicombe on the comedy panel show. In this edition, the two sides answer questions about famous people past and present who share the name Alex, with the winners earning the right to pick the greatest bearer of the moniker – prompting comic banter, funny facts and unusual stats as the teams vie to outdo each other.

Viv Hardwick